With Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier being arrested by the FBI as part of a gambling probe, there are no doubt questions on how this impacts not just his status with the NBA, but also with the team. While the Heat are responding well on the court with the 146-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, there is a possibility that the front office could feel duped by originally trading for Rozier.
Not deceived because of the player himself in Rozier, but due to Miami being unaware of an investigation that surrounded Rozier when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. According to The Miami Herald, the league “did not inform” the team about the alleged gambling activity that was connected to Rozier, especially not before the Heat traded Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick for him in January of 2024.
The Hornets, as well, did not inform Miami, as reported by Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang.
“But following its own protocol, the NBA did not inform the Heat (or other teams) of that red flag in the months that followed, nor did it inform the Heat prior to the league approving the January 2024 trade that sent Rozier to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a first round pick, multiple sources told The Miami Herald this week,” The Miami Herald wrote.
“The Hornets also did not inform the Heat, sources said, though the Hornets are refusing to say if they were even aware of the matter at the time of the trade,” the article continued.
Heat was unaware of Terry Rozier's investigation by NBA and the Hornets
As the sports world continues to react to the Heat guard in Rozier and others being arrested by the FBI, there is some speculation that the team should be compensated for not being relayed the information of the league's investigation. While the NBA found no clear signs of wrongdoing at the time, that could have been enough information for Miami not to trade for Rozier at the time.
Though it's reported that the NBA and Charlotte didn't inform the Heat of the investigation into Rozier, The Miami Herald would get word from the Hornets' chief communications officer.
“Mike Cristaldi, the Hornets’ chief communications officer, said the team would not say if the Hornets knew of the NBA’s investigation at the time of the trade, whether it had any knowledge of sportsbooks flagging bets involving Rozier and why it did not inform the Heat if it did know,” The Miami Herald wrote.
“The Heat didn’t know about the investigation at the time of the trade and as of Friday, had not been told whether the investigation had concluded when the trade was made,” the article continued.
At any rate, it remains to be seen what happens with Rozier and if the Heat will take any action against the league, with Jackson and Chiang reporting that it is still “undetermined” if the team will look to regain the first-round pick they traded earlier.
